Project Lore

Thanks to a lovely excursion to Anaheim, California for something, an enjoyable trip to plague ridden Seattle, and the recovery time from said plague, I've missed a fair bit of raiding.  Actually, I have missed almost a month's worth of raiding.  I've never missed a full month of raiding unless I was still leveling, or not playing the game at all.  Coming back to raiding is a new experience to me, one that makes me feel incredibly dirty. You know that feeling when you haven't showered for a few days; your hair is oily and shaggy, your skin feels like it has an extra layer to it, and your feet have begun to grow a new breed of penicillin?  I've felt like that, disgusting, dingy, dirty, during this week of raiding. I've misplaced Tricks of the Trade (be faster on that Feign Death next time!), dropped Slice'n'Dice, blown openers, allowed Hunger for Blood to dissipate and mistimed Envenom after Envenom.  In short, I've been a total n00b the last few play sessions.  As if completely dropping off of the "good" side of the DPS chart wasn't bad enough, I even did something I haven't done as long as I could remember.  I failed at the same thing in an encounter not once, but twice.   You better believe that was a night filled with /facepalm. My utter failings came as a complete shock to me.  Sure, I've take a week or two off here or there for vacations, I've had friendly rogues come back from excursions only to complain about ruining their spell rotation, but I never thought it was this bad.  I never thought it could happen to me!  I never dreamed I could be this bad again!  But the proof is in the pudding, I've absolutely blown chunks in every possible way since returning. Other than raiding - simply brute forcing my way back to nimble fingers and high DPS - I have no idea what to do.  There's nothing I can easily correct.  As far as I can tell the only remedy is to simply get back into the rhythm, get playing and get focused.  If you guys have any bright ideas on clearing the cobwebs and knocking off the rust of vacation I'd love to hear them. Please, for the sake of my ego, tell me I am not the only person to ever experience a total lack of skill after an extended break.  Lie to me if you must.

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That big, old convention we keep talking about isn't the only Blizzard-sponsored event coming up soon. Though it hasn't gotten a whole lot of publicity, the company is holding a benefit dinner at the Laguna Art Museum on the night before Blizzcon. So why would this concern you folks? Well, if you've got the cash to spend on a ticket ($500 -- but, hey, it's a benefit) you get a pretty swank opportunity to hob-knob with some Blizz employees. The package includes dinner and drinks with company luminaries (you can ask them why they haven't nerfed rogues yet in person!), a signed print of official Blizzard art, and, yes, your very own ticket to Blizzcon! In addition to all the other perks, you can circumvent paying those scalpers on eBay for a last-minute admission and support a good cause at the same time. Blizzard's partnership with the Laguna Art Museum is chiefly due to their current exhibition: WoW: Emergent Media Phenomenon. While official artwork from the likes of Chris Metzen and Samwise Didier anchor the show, it will also feature interpretive pieces from fourteen international artists. Likewise, certain pieces of fan art and machinima will be on display to round things out. Sounds like a really awesome exhibit to check out if you're local, even if you can't make it to the dinner. According to Nethaera, there are still a few tickets available! So double-check your credit limit and head on over to the order page to grab one for yourself. The Laguna Art Museum is located in the Southern LA area in Laguna Beach, just down the road from Anaheim, where Blizzcon is being held.

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